Heaven Help Us
by Hurricanes and Butterflies
Summary: The only similarity between Isaac and Malachai has ever been their devotion to He Who Walks Behind the Rows. But is that really true? When she comes in the form of an outcast named Willow Tree, will the lord's will really come between their friendship?
1. Notes

Hey, It's me

Hey, It's me. I just wanted to say that I own no one but Willow, Skylar, Aunt Carrie Ann, and Dani California. Everyone else is other people's (-Cough-Stephen King-Cough-), along with some of the ideas, as this work has been inspired by other writers on this site, Mainly Garbage and City Lights, because I love their work, Like Baby and Isaac's Gatlin. Anyways, I don't own anything that's not mine (I wish I owned Isaac. He scares me, but I love him!), and I hope you like it. It's my first Fan fiction, and I'm proud of it. ^_^


	2. A Tree in the Corn!

**S**he had been nine when they moved to Gatlin, Nebraska.. It was a pretty sad occasion, too, since it had been because her mother had died of cancer. So, Willow Tree Binx and her brother, Skylar Binx, were sent to live with elderly Aunt Carrie Ann. Dani California Binx was a hippie at heart, whose father had divorced from his wife, and remarried a younger woman, giving her a half sister twenty years older than her. Then, she had married some guy who made her pregnant with Skylar (Who was obviously named by his father) and left eight years later when Willow was born. What a jerk. So, Dani ended up with a seventeen year old boy and a nine year old girl when she was put in the hospital because she refused to get check ups. Then, she died. That was that. So then, they were stuck in a tiny town on the Bible belt. At first, no one would talk to Willow. And at first means the first nine months. She stuck out like a sore thumb in Gatlin. Everyone there, even Skylar, was fair-haired and blue eyed. Willow had ebony hair, with eyes so black, the only reason you knew there was a pupil was because of the color-changing ring around it. And, she wore only black and dark gray, and big black sweaters, and other gothic clothing, which didn't help her social life very much. It was sort of scary being alone with no one but her older brother and crazy aunt, who had her do some work in the corn fields and the little garden Willow had planted when she arrived. It wasn't having to do it that bothered her, just being forced to do it bugged her. It was four months before Deliverance that she finally met her first friend. Her chores and homework had been finished, and she was walking happily in the cornfields one afternoon. _'It's so nice here when it's sunny,' _shethought as she marveled at the bright blue sky and the puffy white clouds, _'I wish everyday was like today.' _A sudden rustle woke her up from her fantasizing. There was no wind, so what would make a sound out here? She searched through the stalks, looking for a source, when she tripped over something. "OWW!!" Willow scrambled to the other side of the small trail, hugging her knees to her chest as she observed the thing across from her.

It wasn't a thing, but a person. A teenage boy, even. She recognized the bright red hair immediately, "Craig Boardman, right?" He stopped holding the back of his head and looked at her, frowning at the little girl, "What's it to you, squirt?" He sat up, but hissed with pain, clutching his ankle. Willow responded with a look too adult for such a young person, "I was only walking when I tripped over you. It was an accident, and I can't fathom why'd you'd be sitting on the ground in the first place. And my name's not 'squirt'. It's Willow, Willow Tree Binx. DON'T LAUGH!" She glared at the older boy, who was shaking with laughter, then her eyes lightened when he winced and clutched his ankle, again. She stared at his leg for a while, so hard it made Craig uneasy. "What?!" he finally snapped. She pursed her lips, thinking, "What about you? What happened to your leg?" Craig froze, blushed, and looked away for a moment, finally motioning to his left. Willow gaped at the hole; it was pretty deep. Deep enough for someone to- She paused for a moment, then burst out laughing, "You tripped over a hole?!" Craig glared at her (It was his turn, after all), "That's not funny! DON'T LAUGH!!" Willow chuckled, standing and offering Craig a hand, "Well, it's not everyday you see the town's favorite redhead trip over a hole. Come on, I'll help you back to town." Craig, however, only glared at the hand and shook his head angrily, "I don't need a kid's help. I'll get back on my own." She sat back down, shrugging, "Fine. But I'm staying, just in case." Craig frowned, but didn't complain or argue. After a few moments of awkward silence, Willow tried to start a conversation, but just ended up talking nonstop. Craig didn't seem to mind too much, but she still periodically asked him if she was boring him. It was a couple hours later, around twilight, when he finally fell asleep. Seizing the moment, she stood and began to pick up the older boy, hoisting him onto her back. It was funny how much bigger he was than her, but it was also heavy, so she made sure to move as fast as possible. Luckily for her, Craig Boardman was a very heavy sleeper, and he dozed even through his parent's cries of joy.

When he woke up, Craig was back in his own bed, with the shades drawn and his ankle wrapped up. He knew he'd get himself back to town! "Nice to see you awake, Sleeping Beauty." Craig froze. Across from him, in a chair dragged to the end of the bed was that kid in black with a tray on her lap and a big smile on her face. "You," he growled as she stood and delicately placed the tray on his chest. The lunch, he had observed, was very nicely made, and looked pretty good. "You know," Willow said, drawing him out of his thoughts, "You're much heavier than you look. Carrying you is pretty hard, and I bet I'm not the only one who'd agree to that." Craig's eyebrows furrowed, "You… carried me?" He'd been so sure he'd toughed it out, but he had actually been carried home… _BY A LITTLE GIRL!! _Willow nodded, smiling innocently, "All the way here." Craig looked away and blushed, pushing the tray away from his face. He'd lost his appetite. After a moment, he muttered his thanks and asked Willow to go away. Willow smiled and nodded, closing the door quietly behind her. Craig looked at his plate again, very confused, and then started to eat.

Later, his parents would verify the girl's story. She _had _carried him to his house and nearly collapsed right after she rang the doorbell. They called her aunt and let her sleep on the couch. Almost every second she was awake, she was sitting across from him, the only time she left was to help with lunch (The kid was a pretty good cook). Until he could go back to school, since his ankle had been sprained, Willow went and picked up his homework, dropped it off and helped him with it, kept him company, brought him news, etc. When he went back to school with crutches, people obviously asked what had happened. Craig refused to say anything, and much to his relief, the kid didn't tell anyone, either. From his first day back to the last day they ever could, she followed him to and from school, like a puppy. Their small friendship started with that. They hung out and talked, and Willow was like a little sister. The friendship had benefits for both of them: he protected her from bullies that called her 'Tree Hugger', and pulled her hair and basically just made her life difficult, plus he was actually around. (Skylar was always somewhere, and didn't want his little sister tagging along.) She kept most of his admirers away, since they didn't like the little goth girl, and helped with his homework. Everything was in place and went smoothly. That was, until Isaac showed up.


	3. Friends Don't Sacrifice Friends

At first, Willow was thankful for Isaac

**A**t first, Willow was thankful for Isaac. It meant she wasn't the only dark-haired and dark-eyed kid in Gatlin, which was nice, because it meant she wasn't different than _everyone_ else. Craig was the only one to celebrate her tenth birthday, even after Skylar promised to be there when she went to his eighteenth birthday, and then Aunt Carrie Ann's death soon after. Aunt Carrie Ann was 67, and had a bad heart, so she was expected to die of heart failure, which she did. However, with it came problems, like Skylar and Willow now living alone, giving them both so many more responsibilities. Sky wanted to quit school, but Willow begged him not to, because education could get him a real job. So, they had to make due with the vegetables from Willow's garden. And the small paycheck from Sky's part-time job. It would be nice to have another friend, since she needed someone, and she knew that Craig needed time to himself sometimes. As soon as she saw him, Willow rushed to sit next to the new boy. "Hi," she smiled sweetly, "I'm Willow, Willow Tree Binx." The boy nodded, giving a shy smile of his own, "Willow Tree? What a unique name. I'm Isaac Chroner." Sitting right next to Isaac gave her a better chance to look at him; He was a little bit younger than she was, with hair as dark as hers, and his eyes were ebony with a little gold ring around the irises, if you looked close enough.

He, like her, was wearing black, although his clothes were a little more old fashioned. And while he was a very good-looking, sweet boy, there was something in his gaze that gave her the shivers, like someone dumped ice down her back. After school, she invited Isaac to join to Craig and her while they did their homework, but he only walked her to the meeting spot, then polite said he had other things to attend to. Willow looked from Isaac's back to Craig. The older boy was glaring intensely at the other boy's back. And, upon witnessing the face Isaac made when he saw Craig, Willow knew they had nothing but contepmt for eachother. Lovely. Willow sighed, sitting down next to Craig and pulling out her homework, which she promptly finished within a few minutes. She then proceeded to check over what Craig had finished.

It always vexed Craig that the ten year old was a genius. It couldn't just be a tough kid that had dragged him all the way home, but it had to a kid with an IQ as high as Einstein's. It bugged him even more when her answers were right and his were completely off. However, when he asked her why she kept her intelligence a secret, she always replied with a sweet smile and the answer, "But, if I went to a higher grade, it wouldn't be as fun, and I might not be able to see you as much." And then Craig would leave the subject alone. So, for now, he would just have to deal with being tutored by a little girl. "What's this?" he asked, pointing to a math problem, and Willow happily obliged, working out the whole problem while he watched, flabbergasted.

For the next month, it was nice to have two friends. At school, she never left Isaac, as they shared every class. After school, since Isaac refused to be near Craig for some reason, she'd help Craig with her homework, and he'd help with her garden. Despite being so tough and angry on the outside, he had a natural green thumb, and her plants grew better than ever. A few days before Deliverance, Isaac began to talk to her less. He was almost silent at school, and didn't even politely excuse himself when he left. Willow, somewhat puzzled by his strange behavior, shrugged it off, though it dwelled in her mind. She put on a cheerful face as she turned to corner to the highschool to meet Craig, but there was no mock-cheery greetings of "Hey, Tree." There were just a few other teenagers milling about on their way home. Willow was worried, very worried. The last time he skipped out on her was to confront some of her tormentors in a fight, which he won, but it was still her fault. She ran to the school's back entrance at the speed of a sprinter. She would not let him get hurt because of her! She slid to a stop, panting for breath. No one was there. Willow swallowed some of her fear, running to Craig's house, then all their normal hangouts, then to any of their hiding spots, but he was no where to be seen. She finally gave up around dark, walking home with her head down to work on her garden and homework. To tell the truth, she hadn't seen any children around…

The next day, I saac did not speak to her anymore than, "Hello," in the morning and, "I must go," at the end of the day. Much to her distress, Craig had disappeared again. She sighed, doing her homework alone, and inspecting her garden for nonexsistant weeds. Finding nothing to do, she turned to the corn fields. The corn had been failing lately. She didn't need the preacher's sermons to tell her that. There were insects, dying stalks, and more weeds than she could count. And crows. She saw them a lot, their plummage as dark as her hair. The old barn in the middle of the field was her favorite place to sit and think, and that was where she heard the hushed voices.

Craig was aware of what his absence would be doing to Willow. However, he had business to attend to, and Isaac said to keep it from Miss Willow Tree Binx. Yes, Isaac. The weird little kid Willow had taken a liking to. The one he despised. But, he had a plan. A good plan. Craig was painfully aware of the failing corn, and he'd do anything to save Gatlin. There was, however, one kink in the plan: there would only be corn children. Those who both acted _and looked _the part. Both he and Isaac were somewhat doubtful of Willow's status. "She doesn't," he continued arguing, trying to keep his temper in check, "Look the part, but she's as devoted as anyone to the right thing. Really, look at you!" Isaac looked at him with icy calmness, "Yes, but _I _am the lord's mouthpiece. What is she?" Craig bit back anything he wanted to shout, "She's your friend, for one thing, and she would be your closest follower. Probably more than myself, if she has the chance." Isaac considered it for a moment. A very _long _moment that seemed to drag on for hours. How long did it take this kid to think?! The younger boy finally opened his mouth to answer, but stopped and stared past Craig, icier than before. Craig whirled around in time to see the little black ponytail disappear behind the wall. He followed it, slipping into the barn.

Isaac was left behind to ponder for a few moments. His closest follower? (Well, _His _closest follower, besides himself.) Did she really care that much? He knew she followed him around for lack of friends and a sense of security in not being alone, but was she really that devoted? "Lord?" he asked aloud, "What should I do? This is incredibly confusing." He waited for a moment, closing his eyes. "Thank you." He was given the decision, but only if he was really sure about it. Well, that certainly was a lot of help. He sighed, walking into the barn. The older boy was sitting next to her in the corner, and the only thing that really stuck out about her was her pale face against the dark backdrop.

Willow felt very hurt inside. She'd only heard the last line, but it convinced her that her friends were planning to leave her, and Craig wanted for them both to sympathize for her. She crawled into the darkest corner she could find, huddling as small as she could. Her pale hands gripping her legs closer to her chest ratted her out, though, as she felt Craig plop down beside her. "So, Tree," he said, attempting to sound parental, "How much did you hear?" Willow sniffled, "The last thing you said." Craig stiffened a little. "Well," he began, shifting his weight more evenly on the random patches of hay, "He, Isaac, was just looking for reasons to share a big secret with you." Willow sniffled again, pulling her knees closer to her chest, "Really? Well, either way, it's good to see you two getting along better." Craig nodded, inwardly clenching his teeth. Genius or not, she was still a child; she still believed things, like him and Isaac getting along, or this 'secret'. Yeah, it was a secret whether or not she died, tommorow. A secret kept from him, as well. "Yes, a secret that I've decided to tell," came that icy, razor blade voice. He could see Willow shiver, as well. He looked up: Isaac was standing there, smirking. "Come to this barn at 8:00 tonight. You'll see." Willow was a little paler, but she nodded, "Of course."


End file.
